The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-03-05
| SUAMlRY or CONGRESS-.
A STRIKING ILLUSTRATION OF
THE CONS rAsT INCREASE
In the Volume OF Les islatiOn-MOre
Bills, More Laws, More Vetoes
Than Ever Before.

{ day has afforded striking illustra-
ton OF the constant increase in the
volume OF legislation demanding the
attention OF Congress which has been
going on for the last three or more
Congresses. More bills were intro
doc ed 10 both HouEe', more commit
tes reports made, more bills passed,
more became laws and more were We
toed than ever before. Most OF these
measures were OF comparative unim-
portancs, such as bills granting private
peDsi ms and special relief, auth r zlng
the erection OF bridges, granting right
OF way, aud the like, but many not
only OF the bills and reports presented,
but of the laws enacted, were OF gem
eral inte' est and Importance. A mum
her of bills enacted into laws we're cd
and familiar claimants for legis.
la i've favor. Il this category
be org the Presidential succ ssion
bill, toe electoral count bill, the inter-
state commerce bill and the bill for
the T. lief # Fl John Potter.
Ths Forty -niuth Congress com.
menced its session on The Attn d y of
December, 1885, and was in session
until the On OF August, when 1t ad-
jourDed until December 9th and con-
tinued in session until its close today,
covering a total D Rod Of ten months
and twenty-six days. OF this time
the Senate was in session 224 days
and the House 25l days.
BILLS INTRODUCED.
There were introduce d in the House
during this / ms 1858 bills and 263
Joint resolutions, on which over 30 0
reports were made, being several thou
sand moe biis and over 1000 more
reports tban were mads in the Forty.
eighth Congress, VIII ch had, in 8
turn, beaten the record in the Senate
there we're introduced 1857 bills and
1l8 int resolutions, OF which 10 8
wri ten reports were made, being mp
ward OF 500 more bills aud over 400
more reports than In the record, beat
ing the Forty ghth Congress. The
total number OF laws enac cd were sp-
PR ximat ly 1891. Of which 1858 orig
in ated in the House and 1888
in the Senate. Two hundred and
sixty-iour of these became laws
by the expiration of the constitutional
ten dsys' limitation. Fifty bills failed
TO become laws owing to the adj urn
ment Of Congress, nine OF them at The
fiBr sePsion. There were 1872 BIZ We.
totd by the President, or twenty-one
more inst incss of the exercise of the
Presidential prerogative Of veto than
haI I'D fsnFtn tna fnnvpda I nj
the government down to the begin-
ming OF this Congress. OF the vetoed
bills ninety-four originated in the
Houee and thirty nine in the Senate.
But one private bill, that granting a
pension to Joseph Romiser, and one
public bill, that providing for the
erection OF a government build 'ng a!
Day GU, O., succeeded In passing bOth
housss over the Presidents to, al
though several others obtained the
req liaite two thirds IN the Senate, on
ly TO fail In the House.
tue DEATH ROLL OF THIS CONGRESS
was also an extraordinary one, com.
p ising the unprecedented number Of
thirteen names in the House aud Sen
ate. They ara those of Wee Presiden
He rdricks, Pres degt of the Senate
Senator'S Miller # California, Pike o
New ii am pshire aud L ,gsn of Illinois
aud Represen' ives Hahn OF Louisi
aua, A rnot, Besch and Dowdnev OF
| New YorA Price of Wisconsin, Co G
OF Mary land, Ewood OF Illin1ie, Dun
can Of Pennsylvania aud Rankin Of
Wisconsin.
BUT ONE ELECTION CASE WAS DECIDED
by the House sg ,inst the sitting mem
Der, and the Congress was character
iEsd by au sb ense OF that acrim pniouI
discussion which such contests u u ALL
awaken. The Rhode Ilsni case O
Page va, Pierce, in which the House
decided that neither party was ell tleC
to the seat aud rev eli ction was or
de ed, was the one ins ance of sea
being taken from the sitting member
OF THE 1868 HOUSE Bills
which became laws, 1915 wtrs OF NOR,
or leaa pub ic nature. OF the remain
ing 778 bills { granting pensions If "a
III 20 specially d siensted persops)
1866 became laws without the approve
OF tue Pr silent. The following is
llst OF the more imp 0rtant Hou,e bill
which have become laws: To foIfei
the Atlantic and Pac f3 railroad Ian,
grant; to increase the pension OF wild
ows and dependent relatives from 5
to S12 per month; to abolish certain
fees for Officsl services to American
vessels and 10 amend the shippinI
laws he DinRley shipping billy; Il
amend the Thurman act (it require
the Pacific railroad to pay the costs o
surveying and conveying their lauC
grants, and subjects the land to taxa
ton so soon as lhs companies are en-
titled tn them, notwiths anding tn,
fact that they may delay seleotiop)
THR INoREAsE OF THE NAVAL RsTAB
LIs1MENT.
1t was passed ia the Fl st session O
tho pres 4nt Congress, and provide
for the cons ruction OF two srmoret
vessels OF sixteen knots speed, 90,
cruiser Of the highest PRACTICABLE,
spe d, one torpedo boat and one dyna
mite Quu CRUISER, and for the comp Q
ton OF the, NJ nitors Puritan, MOI ad
noe, Amphittite and Terror; to pen
sion the Mexican war veterans; t,
impose tex and regulate the manu-
fscture, sale, imp aud exports
in Of oleomargsrine; to su hor q
the transfer Of Hiphwood tract, nea
Chicago, to the United St,tes TO
military purposes; to protect home
stead settlers within railroad limits
to enable natior al bank ng as ociation
to increase their capital stock suI
change their name and location; 70
the construction of q Congressiona
Library Building; Ito grant license L
towing vessels to carry limited mum
Der IT persons In addition to thei
crews; to forfeit New Orleans, Bator
Rouge and V cssburg ilr >ad (back
bone land sra ~; to reduce the fee
on domestic money orders for sum,
less than S.; to make sllow ancee fol
clerk hire postmasters OF the FRS
and second classes; to cover the cos
OF clerical labor in the money order
business; to extend tho immediate de
livery system; tn ptohlbn the passage
| NJ lnnai Or anacial Ia uvu In tha Tarfiko.